If you are exciting your GG amp with 25 watts and you get the max amp output, what happens when you drive the same amp with 100watts Does the excess drive power appear in the amplifier output (and is actually not wasted) or will the power be dissipated in the amplifier tubes as heat

Excessive drive is self defeating on many fronts. You stand a good chance of burning something out and driving the Amp into non-linear operation most likely creating distortion. Never use more input power than required by the circuit design to get maximum efficiency,Regards,Dick KH2G

If you are exciting your GG amp with 25 watts and you get the max amp output, what happens when you drive the same amp with 100watts Does the excess drive power appear in the amplifier output (and is actually not wasted) or will the power be dissipated in the amplifier tubes as heat

If the amplifier is loaded to maximum output at 25 watts drive, and you increase drive more, much or most of the additional power is dissipated in the tube grids. What happens is:

Read the part in W8JI's post again about grid dissipation "going through the roof".

A more basic translation: In most cases, with severe over driving (you mentioned 100 W into an amp that only needs 25 W...i.e. 300% over drive), if you do it very long.....and "very long" in that case can be a few seconds with some tubes, you physically destroy the grid in the tube with consequences you probably can understand.To wit: grids (in most tubes used by hams) are relatively delicate fine wires and are easily damaged at truly abusive drive levels.

Moderate over driving causes your signal to splatter on adjacent frequencies, bother other hams and sound distorted. Translation: you are demonstrating to other people listening that you don't understand how an amplifier works or how to properly tune it.

Read the part in W8JI's post again about grid dissipation "going through the roof".

A more basic translation: In most cases, with severe over driving (you mentioned 100 W into an amp that only needs 25 W...i.e. 300% over drive), if you do it very long.....and "very long" in that case can be a few seconds with some tubes, you physically destroy the grid in the tube with consequences you probably can understand.To wit: grids (in most tubes used by hams) are relatively delicate fine wires and are easily damaged at truly abusive drive levels.

Moderate over driving causes your signal to splatter on adjacent frequencies, bother other hams and sound distorted. Translation: you are demonstrating to other people listening that you don't understand how an amplifier works or how to properly tune it.

73, K0ZN

Read the path where he ask the Question.

>>> If you are exciting your GG amp with 25 watts and you get the max amp output, what happens when you drive the same amp with 100watts Huh <<<

In all fairness to Robert, he asked a very VALID question.Nowhere in his post did he say that's what he is doing. He simply asked " What IF"Isn't that how we learn? Isn't he demonstrating to us that he wants to learn?

I too learned something [ in DETAIL ] here today.

ROBERT, good question.

Tom, Thank you! For taking the time to explain in DETAIL the answer to Robert's question.

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